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Spring Board of Trustees Report

Date: June 13, 2012
Contact: pr@andrews.edu
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An overview of the new University strategic plan and a few key personnel changes were highlighted at President Niels-Erik Andreasen’s spring board briefing held on Monday, June 4, in Newbold Auditorium of Buller Hall.

The Board voted the new dean for the School of Health Professions, Emmanuel Rudatsikira. The School of Health Professions is the newest school at Andrews and now oversees all of the health-related areas: the Departments of Nursing, Physical Therapy, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, and Nutrition & Wellness.

The Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences is facing a unique staffing challenge with the simultaneous retirements of four long-time faculty. The Board voted two new faculty for the Department of Biology: Denise Smith, instructor of biology, effective July 1, 2012, and Daniel Gonzalez, assistant professor of biology, who is a deferred appointment effective July 1, 2013. Additionally, Thomas Goodwin, professor of paleobiology, was appointed the new chair of the Department of Biology. The board approval was accompanied by arequest for Goodwin to be interviewed for a feature article in FOCUS overviewing the many changes in the department and Goodwin and the department’s commitment to continuing to bring science and faith together.

In the area of administration, the Board voted a change in the responsibility structure overseeing Enrollment Management and Integrated Marketing & Communication. Previously, Stephen Payne served as vice president for both of these areas. Effective July 1, 2012, Payne will serve as vice president of only Integrated Marketing & Communication while Randy Graves, formerly associate vice president, will become vice president of Enrollment Management.

“The decision was made between the provost and myself, that with Griggs University and the School of Distance Education coming on, along with the challenge of recruitment, to divide these two functions,” said Andreasen. Payne will focus on branding and marketing of the University, while Graves will focus upon building enrollment on campus.

In the Provost’s Report, Andrea Luxton presented an overview of the University’s 2012–2017 Strategic Plan for the Board. The strategic plan is guided by seven strategic pillars: Quality, Faith Commitment, Service, Leadership, Community, Growth and Financial Resilience.

Larry Schalk, vice president for Financial Administration, gave a preliminary final report on operations for the current fiscal year. He then reported on the year-end state of operations as of April 30, 2012. The University budget did better than anticipated for the operations budget ending the year with $3.7 million instead of the projected $2.9 million. He noted that $1.7 million did not come from operations, but rather in the form of gifts: approximately $700,000 for the Undergraduate Learning Center and $1.2 million from the General Conference to help Andrews procure half of the Lake Union Conference building.

During a report from the President’s Council, the Board heard about the proposed Health & Wellness Center at Andrews. Initial approvals arecomplete on this project. Faculty and students from the School of Architecture, Art & Design are working to determine the optimal location for the center and the Office of Development is working with consultants on a fundraising feasibility plan.

Each time the Board convenes, a special presentation is given for the purpose of Board education. At the June meeting, Stephen Payne gave a presentation on Andrews’ use of social networking and recruitment.

The Board approved a Board Policy Manual, a document the Board Governance Committee recommended be created. This document lists all the duties and obligations of the constituency and of the Board itself. The policy manual is not only a tool for the Board, said Andreasen, but it will also be used to submit to accrediting agencies to help explain the unique make-up of the Andrews Board of Trustees.

The Board voted two resolutions. The first was to pay the retirement special contribution into the employee’s retirement fund rather than through a check. The second resolution was for the way Andrews handles local church hires. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has adopted a universal policy for all Church hires, which ensures employees are paid on a fair, consistent pay scale andreceive equal benefits. While Andrews does not have local church hires, however, Andreasen said this resolution formally adopted the policy to ensure it is in line with the Church’s best practices.

The Board also approved a number of faculty and staff appointments:

Faculty Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Janet Blackwood, assistant professor of English and director of off-campus TESOL Program, Department of English; Vanessa Corredera, assistant professor of English, Department of English; Daniel Gonzalez, assistant professor of biology, Department of Biology; Denise Smith, instructor of biology, Department of Biology; Rodney Summerscales, assistant professor of computer science, Department of Engineering & Computer Science

School of Architecture, Art & Design: Kari Friestad, assistant professor of art, Department of Visual Art & Design

School of Health Professions: Grace Chu-Hui-Lin Chi, associate professor of nursing, Department of Nursing; Emmanuel Rudatsikira, dean, School of Health Professions

Promotion-in-Rank and Other Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Sallie Alger, associate professor of library science, emerita/continuous appointment, James White Library; Lilianne Doukhan, professor of music/continuous appointment,Department of Music; Dawn Dulhunty, assistant professor of international development, Department of Behavioral Sciences; Tom Goodwin, chair, Department of Biology

School of Distance Education: Barbara Martz, academic support/teacher

Staff Appointments
Lathan Bidwell, web programmer, Integrated Marketing & Communication; Diana Riesenberger, publications & communication specialist, Office of Academic Records

Change in Position Title
Verlyn Benson, assistant to the provost, assistant to the president for business development, Administration; Graciela Gayton, registrar, Andrews Academy; Randy Graves, vice president, Enrollment Management; Japhet De Oliveira, university chaplain, Student Life/Office of Campus Ministries; Ben Panigot, fire inspector/code enforcement officer, Office of Campus Safety; Stephen Payne, vice president, Integrated Marketing & Communication; Kevin Wiley, coordinator—accreditations and assessment, School of Education; Jamie Wright, assistant manager, Office of Plant Service

Retirements
David Steen, Department of Biology, 26 years of University service; John Baldwin, Department of Theology & Christian Philosophy, 27 years of University service; Jeannie Mack, Custodial Services, 22 years of University service; Sallie Alger, James White Library, 24 years of University service; David Borton, 14 years of University service



 
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